The soil is now removed from the inside of this enclosure or stationary part of the bed to the depth of 6 inches so that the plants will have head room to develop leaves and stems and still be protected under the top or removable frame part.  The top frame made of the same material and covered also by the 2 x 2 hardware cloth should be about 6 inches in height so that there will actually be 18 inches of head room for the plants to grow in before touching the screen.

[Illustration:  This 60 x 30 foot corrugated galvanized iron fence 3-1/2 feet tall and sunk 6 inches into ground protects valuable hybrids against invasion by rodents.  Photo by C. Weschcke.]

There are several important points to remember in starting a seed bed.  It must be in a well-drained site, so that the seeds will not be under water or water-logged for any length of time.  It should be in an open place where sunlight is plentiful, unless evergreens are being grown.  Evergreens must be in half-shade the first season to avoid a condition known as “damping off.”  The top six inches of soil in the bed should be the best garden soil obtainable, the growth resulting from using good, clean soil, free from weed seeds, being worth the trouble of preparing it.  By having the bed in two parts, with a cover that may be taken off, proper weeding can be done when necessary.  The cover should always be replaced afterward, though, as rodents will sometimes attack the young shoots and the remainder of the seed kernel.

In the spring of the second season of growth, the young plants may be dug up and lined out in nursery rows.  After two or three years more, they may be planted in permanent locations.

Chapter 13

TREE PLANTING METHODS

Since nut trees usually have deep, well-developed root systems of the taproot type, they are more difficult to transplant than such trees as plum, apple, elm or maple which have many small fibrous roots.  Taproots have a long, main trunk like a parsnip, from which lateral roots branch.  These roots are heavy and may extend deep into the ground even in trees only two or three years old.  In moving such a tree, the lower part of the central taproot must, of course, be cut off, but as many of the side roots as possible are retained.  Because such roots have no fibrous or hair-root system, their handling during transplantation necessarily differs from that of the ordinary shade or fruit tree.

If trees having a taproot system, such as the English walnut, black walnut, butternut, hickory or pecan, are received with bare roots, they should be treated in the following way:  Immediately after the trees have been unpacked, their roots should be submerged in a barrel of water for several hours.  After their thirst has been quenched, the roots should be dipped into a mixture of clay and water made to the consistency of thick paint.  With a heavy coating of wet clay around them, the roots may then be wrapped in wet burlap sacks.  They are now ready to be transported to their planting site.